Identification of the Molecular Mechanisms of Peimine in the Treatment of Cough Using Computational Target Fishing

Catechol compounds as dual-targeting agents for fish protection against Ichthyophthirius multifiliis infections

Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing sectors in global food production, recognized as a significant contributor to poverty alleviation, food security, and income generation. However, the frequent occurrence of diseases caused by pathogen infections result in reduced yields and economic losses, posing a substantial constraint to the sustainable development of aquaculture. Here, our study identified that four catechol compounds, quercetin, luteolin, caffeic acid, and chlorogenic acid, exhibited potent antiparasitic effects against Ichthyophthirius multifiliis in both, in vitro and in vivo. The parasite is recognized as one of the most pathogenic to fish worldwide. Using a combination of in silico methods, the dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP) was identified as a critical target for catechol compounds. The two hydroxyl radicals of the catechol group were essential for its binding to and interacting with the DPP protein. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses indicated that catechol compounds disrupt pathways associated with the metabolism and growth of I. multifiliis, thereby exerting antiparasitic effects. Furthermore, these compounds attenuated the expression of proinflammatory cytokines in vivo in fish and promoted macrophage polarization toward M2 phenotype by inhibiting the STAT1 signaling pathway. The dual activity of catechol compounds, acting as both direct antiparasitic and anti-inflammatory agents in fish, offers a promising therapeutic approach for combating I. multifiliis infections in aquaculture.

Peimine suppresses collagen-induced arthritis, activated fibroblast-like synoviocytes and TNFα-induced MAPK pathways

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Peimine (PM), a main isosterol alkaloid component isolated from the bulbs of traditional Chinese herb Fritillaria cirrhosa D. Don, has been demonstrated to exhibit multiple pharmacological properties, including anti-inflammation, anti-cancer and pain suppression. However, its effect on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains unknown. In the present study, we investigated the effect of PM on collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rats in vivo and its inhibition on destructive behaviors of arthritic fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) in vitro.

METHODS

Arthritis was induced in rats by chicken type II collagen. Arthritis score, radiological evaluation, and histopathological assessment were used to evaluate the therapeutic effects of PM on CIA rats. EdU assay, wound healing assay and real-time PCR were used to examine the inhibitory effect of PM on proliferation, migration, and over-expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in TNFα-induced arthritic FLSs. TRAP staining and scanning electron microscopy were used to analyze the effect of PM on osteoclastogensis and bone resorption. Western blot was used to reveal PM's molecular mechanism of action on RA.

RESULTS

PM significantly suppressed synovitis and bone destruction in CIA rats. In vitro experiments showed that PM treatment significantly inhibited TNFα-induced destructive behaviors of arthritic FLSs, including over-proliferation, migration and over-expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Additionally, RANKL-induced osteoclast formation and bone-resorpting function were also inhibited by PM. Further molecular mechanism studies revealed that PM treatment significantly suppressed TNFα-induced activations of MAPKs (ERK, JNK and p38) in arthritic FLSs.

CONCLUSION

Our findings provide strong evidence that PM has the potential to be developed as a therapeutic agent for patients with RA.

Bulbus Fritillariae Cirrhosae as a Respiratory Medicine: Is There a Potential Drug in the Treatment of COVID-19?

Bulbus fritillariae cirrhosae (BFC) is one of the most used Chinese medicines for lung disease, and exerts antitussive, expectorant, anti-inflammatory, anti-asthmatic, and antioxidant effects, which is an ideal therapeutic drug for respiratory diseases such as ARDS, COPD, asthma, lung cancer, and pulmonary tuberculosis. Through this review, it is found that the therapeutic mechanism of BFC on respiratory diseases exhibits the characteristics of multi-components, multi-targets, and multi-signaling pathways. In particular, the therapeutic potential of BFC in terms of intervention of “cytokine storm”, STAT, NF-κB, and MAPK signaling pathways, as well as the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) that ACE is involved in. In the “cytokine storm” of SARS-CoV-2 infection there is an intense inflammatory response. ACE2 regulates the RAS by degradation of Ang II produced by ACE, which is associated with SARS-CoV-2. For COVID-19, may it be a potential drug? This review summarized the research progress of BFC in the respiratory diseases, discussed the development potentiality of BFC for the treatment of COVID-19, explained the chemical diversity and biological significance of the alkaloids in BFC, and clarified the material basis, molecular targets, and signaling pathways of BFC for the respiratory diseases. We hope this review can provide insights on the drug discovery of anti-COVID-19.

Pharmacokinetic interaction between peimine and paeoniflorin in rats and its potential mechanism

CONTEXT

Peimine and paeoniflorin can be combined for the treatment of cough in paediatrics. The interaction during the co-administration could dramatically affect the bioavailability of drugs.

OBJECTIVE

The interaction between peimine and paeoniflorin was investigated in this study.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The pharmacokinetics of paeoniflorin (20 mg/kg) with or without the coadministration of peimine (5 mg/kg for 10 days before paeoniflorin) was orally investigated in Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 6). The group without the peimine was set as the control group. The metabolic stability of paeoniflorin was studied in rat liver with microsomes. The effect of peimine on the absorption of paeoniflorin was investigated with Caco-2 cell monolayers.

RESULTS

The C_max (244.98 ± 10.95 vs. 139.18 ± 15.14 μg/L) and AUC_(0-t) (3295.92 ± 263.02 vs. 139.18 ± 15.14 h·μg/L) of paeoniflorin was increased by peimine. The t_1/2 was prolonged from 5.33 ± 1.65 to 14.21 ± 4.97 h and the clearance was decreased from 15.43 ± 1.75 to 4.12 ± 0.57 L/h/kg. Consistently, peimine increased the metabolic stability of paeoniflorin with rat liver microsomes with the increased t_1/2 (56.78 ± 2.62 vs. 26.33 ± 3.15 min) and the decreased intrinsic clearance (24.42 ± 3.78 vs. 52.64 ± 4.47 μL/min/mg protein). Moreover, the transportation of paeoniflorin was also inhibited by peimine as the efflux ratio decreased from 3.06 to 1.63.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Peimine increased the systemic exposure of paeoniflorin through inhibiting the activity of CYP3A4 and P-gp. These results provide a reference for further in vivo studies in a broader population.

Yanghe Decoction Suppresses the Experimental Autoimmune Thyroiditis in Rats by Improving NLRP3 Inflammasome and Immune Dysregulation

Inflammation is an important contributor to autoimmune thyroiditis. Yanghe decoction (YH) is a traditional Chinese herbal formulation which has various anti-inflammatory effects. It has been used for the treatment of autoimmune diseases such as ankylosing spondylitis In this study we aimed to investigate the effects of YH on autoimmune thyroiditis in a rat model and elucidate the underlying mechanisms. The experimental autoimmune thyroiditis (EAT) model was established by thyroglobulin (pTG) injections and excessive iodine intake. Thyroid lesions were observed using hematoxylin and eosin (H and E) staining and serum TgAb, TPOAb, TSH, T3, and T4 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay IL-35 levels were evaluated using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Th17/Treg balance in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was determined by flow cytometry and RT-PCR. Changes in Wnt/β-catenin signaling were evaluated using Western blot. Immunofluorescence staining and western blot were employed to examine NLRP3 inflammasome activation in the thyroid. YH minimized thyroid follicle injury and decreased concentrations of serum TgAb, TPOAb, TSH, T3, and T4 in EAT model. The mRNA of IL-35 was increased after YH treatment. YH also increased the percentage of Treg cells, and decreased Th17 proportion as well as Th17/Treg ratio in PBMCs. Meanwhile, the mRNA levels of Th17 related cytokines (RORγt, IL-17A, IL-21, and IL-22) were suppressed and Treg related cytokines (FoxP3, TGF-β, and IL-10) were promoted in PBMCs. Additionally, the protein expressions of Wnt-1 and β-catenin were unregulated after YH treatment. NLRP3 immunostaining signal and protein levels of IL-17, p-NF-κB, NLRP3, ASC, cleaved-Caspase-1, cleaved-IL-1β, and IL-18 were downregulated in the thyroid after YH intervention. Overall, the present study demonstrated that YH alleviated autoimmune thyroiditis in rats by improving NLRP3 inflammasome and immune dysregulation.

Network pharmacology-based identification of the key mechanism of quercetin acting on hemochromatosis

Hemochromatosis is an iron overload disease, which lacks nutritional intervention strategies. This study explored the protective effect of quercetin on hemochromatosis and its possible mechanism through network pharmacology. We used Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man to screen the disease targets of hemochromatosis, and further constructed a potential protein interaction network through STITCH. The above-mentioned targets revealed by Gene enrichment analysis have played a significant role in ferroptosis, mineral absorption, basal cell carcinoma, and related signal pathways. Besides, the drug likeness of quercetin obtained by Comparative Toxicogenomics Database was evaluated by Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology, and potential drug targets identified by PharmMapper and similar compounds identified by PubChem were selected for further research. Moreover, gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis revealed the relationship between quercetin and glycosylation. Furthermore, we performed experiments to verify that the protective effect of quercetin on iron overload cells is to inhibit the production of reactive oxygen species, limit intracellular iron, and degrade glycosaminoglycans. Finally, iron-induced intracellular iron overload caused ferroptosis, and quercetin and fisetin were potential ferroptosis inhibitors. In conclusion, our study revealed the correlation between hemochromatosis and ferroptosis, provided the relationship between the target of quercetin and glycosylation, and verified that quercetin and its similar compounds interfere with iron overload related disease. Our research may provide novel insights for quercetin and its structurally similar compounds as a potential nutritional supplement for iron overload related diseases.

Neuroprotective Effect for Cerebral Ischemia by Natural Products: A Review

Natural products have a significant role in the prevention of disease and boosting of health in humans and animals. Stroke is a disease with high prevalence and incidence, the pathogenesis is a complex cascade reaction. In recent years, it’s reported that a vast number of natural products have demonstrated beneficial effects on stroke worldwide. Natural products have been discovered to modulate activities with multiple targets and signaling pathways to exert neuroprotection via direct or indirect effects on enzymes, such as kinases, regulatory receptors, and proteins. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the established pharmacological effects and multiple target mechanisms of natural products for cerebral ischemic injury in vitro and in vivo preclinical models, and their potential neuro-therapeutic applications. In addition, the biological activity of natural products is closely related to their structure, and the structure-activity relationship of most natural products in neuroprotection is lacking, which should be further explored in future. Overall, we stress on natural products for their role in neuroprotection, and this wide band of pharmacological or biological activities has made them suitable candidates for the treatment of stroke.

A Systematic Review on Traditional Uses, Sources, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, Pharmacokinetics, and Toxicity of Fritillariae Cirrhosae Bulbus

Fritillariae Cirrhosae Bulbus (known as chuanbeimu in Chinese, FCB) is a famous folk medicine which has been widely used to relieve cough and eliminate phlegm for thousands of years in China. The medicine originates from dried bulbs of six species of Fritillaria which are distributed in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. Increasing attention has been paid to FCB because of its excellent medicinal value such as being antitussive, expectorant, analgesic, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidative. During the past years, a large number of research studies have been conducted to investigate the phytochemistry, pharmacology, and pharmacokinetics of FCB. A range of compounds have been isolated and identified from FCB, including alkaloids, saponins, nucleosides, organic acids, terpenoids, and sterols. Among them, alkaloids as the main active ingredient have been illustrated to exert significant therapeutic effects on many diseases such as cancer, acute lung injury, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, Parkinson's disease, and diabetes. Due to the excellent medical value and low toxicity, FCB has a huge market all over the world and triggers a growing enthusiasm among researchers. However, there is still a lack of systematic review. Hence, in this work, we reviewed the FCB-based articles published in Sci Finder, Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar, CNKI, and other databases in the recent years. The traditional uses, sources, phytochemistry, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and toxicity of FCB were discussed in the review, which aims to provide a reference for further development and utilization of FCB.

LED Lights Affecting Morphogenesis and Isosteroidal Alkaloid Contents in Fritillaria cirrhosa D. Don-An Important Chinese Medicinal Herb

Investigations were carried out to study the effects of light-emitting diode (LED) lights on growth and development of isosteroidal alkaloids in embryogenic calli of Fritillaria cirrhosa D. Don, an important traditional Chinese medicine herb. Calli were cultured in glass bottles, each containing 100 mL of Murashige and Skoog’s basal medium supplemented with 2% sucrose and 0.4% gellan gum powder, a gelling agent. These bottles were incubated in a specially designed plant growth chamber equipped with eight different LED lights consisting of single or combinations of four different light spectra emitting blue (450 nm), green (525 nm), red (660 nm), and far-red (730 nm) light. After three months of incubation, morphological changes in embryogenic calli were recorded, and LC-MS/MS analysis of cultures was carried out for peimisine, sipeimine, peiminine, and peimine. The highest number of somatic embryos and the maximum fresh weight was recorded in calli incubated under red (9R), infrared (9IR), and a combination of red+blue+infrared (3R3B3IR), respectively, in decreasing order. The highest contents of peimisine, peiminine, and peimine were recorded under red (9R) and infrared (9IR) lights, respectively. Eight LED lights had significant effects on the morphogenesis of embryogenic calli of F. cirrhosa D. Don and contents of isosteroidal alkaloids.